


The Fire is Nice, But So Are Your Eyes

by Ineedapuppyandsomevodka



Series: Buddie Christmas Prompts [6]
Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: 12 Days of Buddiemas (9-1-1 TV), 12 days of Buddie, Buddiemas, Buddiemas 2020, Candy Canes, Christmas Parties, Christopher is an absolute angel, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Gingerbread Houses, Kissing, M/M, cute fluff, he's also a troll, just all around fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-15
Updated: 2020-12-15
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:21:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28086126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ineedapuppyandsomevodka/pseuds/Ineedapuppyandsomevodka
Summary: Buddiemas day 5: Candy CanesKaren talks some sense into Eddie, so Eddie tells Buck how he's feeling.
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley & Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV)
Series: Buddie Christmas Prompts [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2042251
Comments: 4
Kudos: 79
Collections: Buddiemas 2020





	The Fire is Nice, But So Are Your Eyes

**Author's Note:**

> All of the works in this series are connected, but they also work as a stand-alone piece!

14\. Candy Canes  
Christopher had been invited over to Karen and Hen’s for what they were calling a “Candy Cane Hunt,” and while Eddie has no idea what that even is or what it entails, he’s not going to give up the opportunity to go over to their house and have a little fun, especially since school is out and there isn’t much else to do. 

“Is Buck coming?” Chris asks as they’re getting into the car. 

“No, buddy, I don’t think so. I think they're just having the kids over for some fun,” Eddie responds, putting Christopher’s crutches on the ground in front of him so that they’re easier to grab when they go to get out of the car. 

“Buck’s still a kid, he likes to have fun,” Chris points out. 

“You’re right, he is, but I think they’re reserving this game for those who are under 18,” Eddie smiles, closing Christopher's door. 

“If everyone else was invited except for Buck, he’ll be sad,” he pouts when Eddie gets into his seat, shuts the door, and turns the car on. 

“I don’t think that Chimney and Maddie will be there, bud, I think Buck will be okay,” Eddie glances at his son in the rearview. “Would it make you feel better if I texted to see if he wanted to come to do gingerbread houses with us later?”

“Yeah!” His son lit up, nodding. 

“Okay, I’ll text him if he isn’t there, okay?”

“Okay.”

***

They arrive at the Wilson’s house, and as Eddie suspected, Buck’s jeep isn’t anywhere to be seen. So, he shoots him a text and invites him over for dinner and decorating, and Eddie pockets his phone before going inside with Chris. 

The game itself is kind of like an Easter Egg hunt. Karen hid all of the Candy Canes while the kids were distracted with lunch, so they were hung in multiple different places throughout the house, even hanging on the Christmas tree. 

When the kids were finally allowed to go and look for the Candy Canes, it was a whirlwind of energy. The kids searched high and low, trying to grab as many as they could. It was fun to watch, and it was obvious that the kids thought it was amazing. Everyone ended up with quite a few Candy Canes before they settled down to watch a movie. 

“Dad?” Christopher asks, holding up a small handful of his Candy Canes. 

“Yeah, bud?”

“Will you save these for Buck for when he comes over later?” He asks, and Eddie's heart about melts for it. 

“Yeah, of course, I will,” he smiles. “I’ll put them in your backpack, okay?”

“Okay,” Chris grins and then goes off to join his friends who are watching the animated version of the grinch. 

“So,” Karen smiles, inching in closer to Eddie, “Bucks coming over later?”

Eddie can feel his face turn about sixteen different shades of red, and there’s no hiding it. “Yes?”

“Are you going to finally tell him how you feel?” She pokes, Eddie may or may not have been going to her for advice about... everything. She knew that he liked Buck even before they kissed under the mistletoe at the Christmas Party. 

“I don’t know what to tell him, thus, I won’t be,” he responds, shrugging. 

“Bull shit,” she laughs, shaking her head. “You are in love with that boy and we can all see it. I’m pretty sure even Buck sees it, but he’s Buck and he’s not the sharpest tool in the shed.”

Eddie raises his eyebrows at her. Is she calling Buck stupid? Buck is far from stupid. He’s probably one of the smartest people that Eddie knows. “He’s actually pretty sharp, Karen.”

“I know he is,” she hums with a smile. “He’s just not when it comes to feelings and things. You two are a lot alike in that, and I think that you two have been hurt a lot because of it. I think you’re just scared because you don’t want to lose him.”

She was right. Eddie was scared. Buck was his best friend. He was the one who knew him better than he knew himself. It was terrifying. He was the person who stepped up when no one else was there. He’s tried his best to do everything he can for Christopher, which is HUGE in Eddie's eyes. He’s kind and he’s caring and sue him if he’s falling a lot harder than he thought he would for anyone. 

“You should just tell him,” Karen smiles. “That’s all I’m saying. I think you two would make a pretty great couple.” 

***

Once they leave Karen and Hen's, Eddie and Christopher run to the store to pick up a couple of gingerbread making kits. Christopher picks out one that looks like a Christmas train for himself, and then a little Christmas village that Eddie and Buck are supposed to do together (Chris says it's because he doesn't trust Eddie to do one on his own... which _ouch_ ). 

They then head home, and Eddie lets Chris watch a show while they wait for Buck to arrive. He's there right when he says he'll be, with beers in hand. 

"Hey," he smiles as he opens the door, letting himself in. 

"Buck!" Chris grins, pushing himself up off the couch to give him a hug. "We got a gingerbread village for you and dad to make!"

"Oh really?" Buck grins, looking from Chris to Eddie. 

"Apparently I'm not to be trusted with a gingerbread house of my own, so you're in charge of it," Eddie shrugs with a playful smile. 

"There's a reason you're a firefighter and not an architect, Eddie," Buck teases, following after Christopher. He bumps shoulders with Eddie on the way in, and Eddie bumps back. It's the kind of casual contact that leaves him wanting more. 

"I'd like to point out that you are _also_ a firefighter, Buck," Eddie quips, and Buck rolls his eyes. 

Assembling a gingerbread village is a lot harder than Eddie ever thought it would be, even with Bucks help. The frosting doesn't want to adhere to the pieces of gingerbread and the house he's making falls over about 84 times before Christopher gets annoyed and takes over for himself. 

"You've got a little frosting--" Buck says, reaching over to brush some frosting off Eddie's cheek, and Eddie can't help but blush. Buck tries once, twice, and three times and it's still stuck to his cheek.

"This frosting sticks better on me than it does on the gingerbread," Eddie deadpans, and it earns him one of Buck's great laughs. 

They make eye contact, and Eddie finds himself staring into Buck's ocean blue eyes. They're absolutely beautiful. They've got flecks of green and grey, and his eyelashes are just so _long_. He's not sure he ever found himself this caught up in Shannon's eyes, and the fact that Buck is looking back at him makes his stomach flip in the best way. 

Karen's right, he should just tell Buck, right? He knows that he likes him, hell, he's pretty sure he would go as far as to say that he _loves_ Buck. Love is a complicated word for Eddie to come to terms with, but he's pretty sure that's what he's feeling right now. 

"Dad. It's ready for you to decorate, surely you can't mess _that_ part up, right?" Christopher says, moving back to his gingerbread train. 

Eddie blinks and his eyebrows raise as Buck leans back and nearly falls out of his chair because he's laughing so hard. 

"I didn't realize I was raising such a perfectionist, jeez," Eddie said with a laugh. 

"Everyone's a critic these days," Buck grins, resting his hand on Eddie's shoulder. 

When they finally finish assembling their gingerbread kits, Eddie lets Chris and Buck decide what dinner is going to be and then phones it in. Chris chooses the movie that they're going to watch and they sit on the couch with Chris crammed between them. It's domestic and easy, and everything that Eddie has wanted in a relationship... he just hopes it's something that Buck wants too. 

Buck helps get Chris ready for bed and reads him two chapters of the book that they're working through before Eddie finally saves him. 

"Chris, it's way past bedtime, bud. We can read more tomorrow," Eddie says gently. 

"Yeah, but Buck does the voices way better than you," Chris pouts. 

"Aw, bud, your dad does the voices fine," Buck says with a soft smile. "But, rules are rules, and bedtime is bedtime."

"Fine," Chris says through a yawn, and Buck kisses him on the top of his head. "Goodnight, Bucky."

"Goodnight Christopher," Buck replies, giving Eddie space to say goodnight. 

Eddie is half expecting Buck to be getting ready to go when he comes back out into the living room, but he's in the kitchen opening up a couple of beers for them. 

Eddie leans in the doorway of the kitchen and smiles at him. "You planning on spending the night?"

"You planning on kicking me out?" Buck responds easily and hands Eddie one of the beers. 

"Nah, believe it or not, I actually like having you around," he says and takes a swig of his beer. 

"You do, do you?" 

"Yeah," Eddie smiles, then bumps Buck's shoulder with his own as he turns to the couches. "I actually think we need to talk."

The color about drains out of Buck's face and Eddie hates himself for it. "Not-not like that, I'm serious. I do like having you around, just, come sit?" 

"Yeah," Buck gulps and follows after Eddie. They sit on opposite ends of the couch and it's a little awkward, so Eddie turns himself and pokes his toes under Buck's legs. 

"I wanted to talk to you about us," Eddie says after he takes another sip of his beer. "And I want you to hear me out because I don't want this to ruin our friendship or anything, but Karen said that I should say something because apparently, we're two oblivious idiots who need to have a DTR talk." 

"A DTR Talk?"

"Determine the relationship."

"Oh," Buck nods, his cheeks turning pink. "You talked to Karen about us?"

"I'd be more inclined to say that Karen talked to me about us. I'm not sure I did a whole lot of talking," Eddie scrubbed a hand over his face. "I like you, Buck. I like you a lot. And if you don't like me, that's okay, I'm great with us being just friends, but if there's any chance that this could be something more..."

"I like you too," Buck admits with a smile. "I just-- things have been so complicated with my past relationships, and I don't want things to be complicated with you." 

"I don't want things to be complicated either. I know that Christopher complicates things--"

"Christopher doesn't complicate things. I love Christopher. You know that."

"I know," Eddie says with a bit of a relieved sigh. "I just... I don't want him to get hurt."

"I wouldn't want to hurt him," Buck admits, "but I definitely see where you're coming from."

"I guess what I'm trying to say is that I want to try to make it work. I want to make us work. I know I keep saying that you're family, Buck, but you are. You're apart of my family, and it's little and it's broken, but you make it feel a lot less little and a lot less broken," Eddie said, playing with the label on his beer bottle. 

Buck put his hand on Eddie's ankle and gave it a squeeze, so Eddie looked up to make eye contact with him. "I want to make it work too, Eds."

Eddie set his bottle on the coffee table, and pushed himself closer to Buck, leaning in to give him a kiss. It was tentative at first, then Buck moved to wrap a hand around the back of Eddie's neck, deepening the kiss. 

"DAD! WE FORGOT TO GIVE BUCK HIS CANDY CANES!" Christopher yells from his bedroom, and Eddie can’t help but laugh against Buck's lips. 

"Are you sure he doesn't complicate things?" He asks teasingly, resting his forehead against Bucks. 

"Him wanting to give me candy canes? Never." Buck grins, running his fingers through the hair on the back of Eddie's neck.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, and let me know what you think!


End file.
